In The End
by LondonGirl101
Summary: She watched his head lift up from his hands, his eyes meeting hers, and stuck her hands through the bars that was keeping her from getting any closer to him. He was in front of her in a heartbeat, grabbing onto of her. "I'm gonna get you outta here,"


**In The End**

**Chapter 1: December **

"May I see him now?"

The officer behind the desk looked up at her, and she could see the hesitation in his eyes. But she had given him everything he had needed. All of the files about her, and she knew that he could not say no.

"Sir?"

He breathed out heavily from his nose. "Your badge and gun?" He asked.

She unclasped her gun from her holster, and took her badge off of her belt. She handed them to him.

He took them and put them under the counter where she could not see. He stepped around the desk and in front of her.

"Follow me," He mumbled.

And she did precisely that.

He walked over to the side of the station, her at his heel, and buzzed her in.

She looked at him. "Which cell?"

"312."

She could feel her heart racing in her chest as she walked down the hall, her hands to her sides, clutched in fists.

_300... _

_302..._

She licked her lips and swallowed, her throat dry.

_308..._

_310... _

_312._

"Castle."

She watched his head lift up from his hands, his eyes meeting hers, and stuck her hands through the bars that was keeping her from getting any closer to him.

"Kate."

He was in front of her in a heartbeat, grabbing onto of her. One of her hands went up to the side of his face. Her thumb rubbed his dry skin.

"I'm gonna get you outta here, Rick." Beckett whispered.

"I know."

* * *

><p><strong>Three Months Earlier <strong>

"Look, I know what you're thinking right now. But you _have_ to come, Kate."

"But–"

"No buts! _You have to!_"

"I won't know anyone there."

"Yes, you will. Lanie's coming, Esposito, Ryan and Jenny, and my mother and Alexis are going to be there. It'll be fun. Come on. Please?"

Beckett huffed in annoyance, as Castle sat beside her, puppy dog eyes, begging her to come to his Christmas party he was having next week. She set her pen down on her desk, and she leaned back in her chair to glare at him.

"Let me think about."

He smiled. "I'll take that answer." Her phone rang. "For now..."

She smiled and picked up her phone. "Beckett."

"Hey girl, it's me." Lanie said. "It's my lunch break right now and I wanted to know if you were going to Castle's party."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Seriously?"

"Yes. Give me an answer."

She looked at Castle who was mouthing at her,_ who is that?_, and smiled slightly.

"I don't know." She said, ignoring Castle's question.

"What? Why? You like him, don't you?"

"Shut up." She said, warning in her voice. Glancing at Castle again, she felt her cheeks get slightly warm.

He raised his eyebrow at her. _Who is it? _he mouthed again.

"No one." She said.

"What?"

"Not you, Lanie."

"Is he with you right now?"

"Maybe."

Castle got up suddenly, and walked over to the side of her chair, pressing his cheek against hers, trying to hear who was on the phone.

"Castle–" Beckett started, pushing him away and getting up.

"Just tell me who it is." He said, out loud this time. He moved closer to her again, putting his face close to hers. She switched the phone to her other ear.

"What in the world is going on?" Lanie said.

"Castle being immature. Nothing unusual."

"If you would just tell me who it is..." Castle started.

Lanie laughed.

"Castle," Beckett said, pressing her hand to his chest. "Ever heard of personal space?"

"No."

"He probably hasn't, girl." Lanie said.

"Look can I just call you back?" Beckett asked into the phone, while Castle tried grabbing it.

Lanie sighed. "Alright. But I want an answer."

"Beckett!" Castle complained.

"And I'm pretty sure almost lover boy does too."

Beckett hung up before she could even think about what Lanie had just said.

"Kate–"

"Don't you dare Kate me." She said, finger on his chest, poking him. He tried backing away, but she just followed him. "Do you really have to know about everything that happens in my life, Castle? Just decide that you should know about my whole life story, every single one of my friends, everyone who _calls me_..?"

Castle stopped suddenly, his back up against a wall, and looked down at Beckett. "I have no _idea_ why you're making such a big deal about this."

"Maybe it's because I'm tired." She said, finger still on his chest, voice low. "Maybe it's because we just wrapped up a case and I wanna go home and sleep."

"Look, Kate,"

"It was Lanie." She said.

"What?" Castle asked, perplexed.

"It was Lanie." Beckett repeated.

Castle stared at her. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

She sighed, finally dropping her finger from his chest. "I... might've been... occupied and a bit... flustered at what she had just said."

She saw him smile slightly, and smacked his chest. "Shut up."

"What were you 'flustered' about?" He asked.

Her eyes automatically went down to his lips for a half of a second, then back up to his eyes.

"Are you trying to make me angry again?" She said, lightly, eyebrow raised.

He didn't crack a smile.

Before she could ask him what was up, Esposito's voice came down the hall.

"Backed up against a wall in public? Now that's dirty."

Beckett automatically backed away from Castle and glared at Esposito from a distance while he laughed at them.

"Come on," She told Castle. "Let's go get some lunch."

~Castle&Beckett~

"Next time you call, I'm not gonna pick it up unless I'm alone."

Lanie smiled, as Beckett picked at the food in front of her. She was at Lanie's apartment, eating dinner, though the word 'interrogation' kept popping up in Beckett's head as Lanie sat there asking her question after question.

"You're in a bad mood today." Lanie said.

Beckett just shrugged.

It was silent for a moment except for the noise of silverware being used, when Beckett suddenly looked up from her plate.

"Do you think I should go?"

"To the party? Hell yes."

Beckett sighed. "It's just... I haven't been to a party for a really, really long time."

"Which means now is the time to start partying. Don't worry, you'll be fine."

"I don't know. Every time I think about it, I just... I don't know." She repeated.

Lanie leaned across the table. "Just let me get something straight. You like Castle, don't you?"

"Lanie–"

"Answer the question." She said firmly, eyes staring straight into hers.

Beckett sighed and looked down. "I don't know, I guess..." She said, bitting down on her bottom lip.

"That's what I thought. Now what do you do when you like someone?"

Beckett shrugged.

"You hang out with them." Lanie stated.

She finally looked up. "I hang out with Castle all the time. He's my partner."

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Other than at work."

"I go to his house sometimes to eat dinner."

"Alone."

"We're almost always alone."

"Girl, just go to the damn party." Lanie finally said, leaning back in exasperation.

A twitch of a smile came on Beckett's mouth.

"Fine."

~Castle&Beckett~

Beckett was finishing the final touches of the paperwork in front of her, when Castle walked into the precinct, two coffees in his hands. He set one down in front of her.

"Thanks." She said, taking a sip from it.

Castle sat down in his chair. "So, have you made a decision yet?"

"A decision for what?"

"For the party."

Beckett glanced up at him and smiled. "I'll come, Castle."

He gave her a sideways hug.

~Castle&Beckett~

"Beckett's coming. She told me this morning."

His mother clapped her hands together. "Oh, wonderful! One more name to the guess list!"

Castle narrowed his eyes. "Just how many people are on the guess list, mother?"

She patted his cheek. "There was no need to count, darling. A few of your friends, a few of my friends..."

"What about Alexis?"

"Ah, yes, she told me that she wouldn't be attending. Some big test to study for..."

"Where is she right now?"

"A friends house. I had to practically force her to go. She hardly ever has fun anymore."

Castle smiled. "Who's genes did she get?"

"Lord only knows. She's smarter than the two of us put together."

~Castle&Beckett~

Beckett looked up from her book when her doorbell rang. Reluctantly, she got up off of her couch, setting her book down, and walked down the hall.

Opening the door, she knew there was only one person who could be on the other side.

"Castle."

He smiled and lifted up his bag of Chinese food. "Thai food?"

She felt a smile tugging on her lips. "Sure."

He walked in, rambling about how his mother and Alexis decided to go out without him for a girls night, and the only person he could think of who was more than likely to be home was her.

"Gee, thanks Castle." Beckett joked.

He shrugged, sitting down on the couch, her plopping down next to him. He got the food out. "I always knew you'd be some use to me."

She snorted, and took the food away from him, digging in.

Castle got his own out. "You know," He started. "I was thinking about my party–"

"And that's new?"

He ignored her. "And suddenly a thought came to me... Maybe it should be a dress up party where girls where noddy elf outfits, and all the guys were sexy santa outfits."

Beckett raised her eyebrow. "Is there such a thing as a sexy santa outfit for guys?"

He thought about it for a second. "I'm actually not sure." Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he turned it on. "Better check it out."

It turned out that there were plenty sexy santa outfits for guys (and girls) that had them laughing for what seemed hours.

"Can you imagine Esposito in that?" Castle gasped out.

Beckett nodded, giggling. She could not remember the last time she had giggled. "I can see his face."

Castle switched to a new picture showing a hot female model a skin tight, leather, red, santa outfit. He chuckled. "Now I could see _you_ in that."

She hit his chest. "I would never wear that, Castle."

"Oh, come on."

She put her chin on his shoulder, so she could see the screen. "Change it."

They laughed a few hours longer.

~Castle&Beckett~

It turned out that Castle kept his party the way he had planned it from the beginning. Kate walked in with Lanie, wearing a normal, red sweater and jeans.

"Well, look at you two lovely ladies." Castle said when he opened the door. He looked at Beckett and smiled. "I think we should've stuck to the sexy santa idea."

She laughed while Lanie looked confused, and Castle lead them in, taking their coats.

He looked at Lanie. "Esposito's over there, talking with Jenny and Ryan."

"Thank you." She said, walking in the direction he pointed to.

"As for you..." Castle took Beckett's arm. "Follow me. I have to show you something."

Before she could ask any questions, he dragged her across the room and to the Christmas tree in the corner. Reaching down, he picked up a box and handed it over to her, feeling his face get warm.

"I got you something." He said.

Beckett stared at the box in her hands. "Castle–"

He shook his head. "Open it."

So she did. And inside was...

"A necklace."

A beautiful one. It was a bronzed heart, with engraved patterns of vines, leaves and flowers. She felt herself suck in a breath, a smile formed on her mouth.

"Turn it around." She heard Castle say.

She reached up, and turned it to find a one word engraved in the back.

Always.

"Castle, I..."

She looked up, and saw that he had a nervous look in his eyes. "Do you like it?"

Her smile grew. "I love it."

He let out a breath and smiled before she drew him into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her waist, and felt her fingers digging into his back slightly.

"Thank you. It's really sweet." She said.

He drew back enough so he could look into her eyes. "Only for you."

Drawing back, she took the necklace out of its box, and put it around her neck.

Castle opened his mouth, intending to say how beautiful it looked on her, when his mother came up, attacking Beckett in a hug.

"Kate, darling, it's so good to see you!" She exclaimed.

Beckett laughed, and hugged her back. "You too, Martha."

"Oh, did Richard give you his present?"

"Mother–"

Kate smiled. "Yes."

Martha nodded. "Yes, such a sweet boy." She said, looking over at Castle. She let go of Beckett and stared over towards the door. "Oh, look! If you'll excuse me, one of my producers I use to work for just walked in. The show must go on!" She said, strutting towards her producer.

Castle sighed, and Beckett laughed.

"Why don't you show me around, Castle."

He did, and she met quite a few interesting people (whom Castle had insisted had been his mothers friends) and to her surprise, a few normal people. She found that she was actually enjoying herself when someone just _had_ to yell out that she was standing under the mistletoe. With Castle.

Castle.

Oh, good Lord.

She looked up to find that she was indeed under a clump of mistletoe, Castle right beside her. First, the thought of cliche filled her brain, then the fear of kissing Castle. In public.

She turned towards him. "Castle–"

But he was already leaning down, and before she knew it, his mouth was pressed against hers slightly, and she could not think. It lasted for a millimeter of a second, but in that second, Beckett's thoughts raced to the first time he had kissed her in that alley and how good it had felt. It seemed even better than she remembered. And this time, there was nothing stopping them from kissing again.

Castle had just pulled away, and she could still feel his breath on her lips when she leaned back in to kiss him again, her fingers curling around the labels of his jacket. It was a second of shock, she supposed, before he kissed her back. His mouth molded itself onto hers, moving in sync against her own, and just as she felt his tongue make its way past her lips, she let go.

Her eyes met his own when she let go of his jacket, and she let out a shaky breath. He stared at her, searching her face, but she dropped his gaze when her ears made out the sound of whistles, shouts, and clapping.

She turned to see everyone staring at them, smiling. It took a second before she spotted Lanie, who was looking at her pointedly, smiling. She looked back at Castle, who was still staring at her, oblivious to everything else around him.

"Kate..." He started.

"Sorry," She said.

She was out the door five minutes later.

~Castle&Beckett~

Beckett looked down at her ringing phone, considering whether or not to pick it up. She did want to talk to Lanie about had happened not a hour ago, but another side of her wanted to curl up on her couch, drink something hot, and watch t.v.. Deciding at the last minute, she answered her phone.

"Beckett."

"Girl, what just happened back there?"

Beckett closed her eyes. "It was just a small kiss under the mistletoe."

"A small kiss? Maybe the first one he gave you, but the one you gave him... Good way of expressing your feelings."

Beckett groaned. "What am I going to do, Lanie? I don't know what happened to me! Why would I kiss him like that?"

"Uh, maybe because you like him." She said, as though it were obvious.

"But in public?"

"I don't know, girl. Your feelings just took over."

"Is he still there?" She asked, almost shyly.

"I don't know. I've been in the bathroom upstairs, trying to call you ever since you left."

Beckett ran her fingers through her hair. "Gosh, I feel like an idiot. Do you think I should've stayed?"

"Yes." Lanie said, forcibly. "He's probably feeling a little down in the dumps because you left after he kissed you. Or, you kissed him. Either one."

Beckett's doorbell rang, and she sighed. "Can I call you back? My foods here."

"Your food?"

"I'm a little stressed out here, Lanie."

She heard her sigh. "Alright, but I expect a call back _today_. Got it?"

"Yeah, bye."

"Bye."

Beckett hung up and got up when the doorbell rang again.

"Coming!" She called out.

When she opened the door, she stopped suddenly when she saw Castle standing there looking slightly out of breath. Before she could even open her mouth, he was in front of her, hands on both sides of her face, lips pressed hard against her own. Her hands came up, clutching onto his arms, and she kissed him back just as furiously. Her arms moved up around his neck, and his moved down to her sides, sliding down, getting closer to her ass. Heat erupted inside of her, and she moaned against his mouth, kissing him as hard as she could. He whipped her around then, slamming the door shut behind them, and shoved her back against it, his body pressed close against her own. His lips moved with hers with a hunger and passion that she never knew he could possess.

Digging her fingers into his hair, she opened her mouth, letting her tongue battle against his own. When he lifted her higher up against the door, his hand on her thigh, her surprised gasp never made it past her lips, because his mouth still covered hers. Beckett arched her back, drawing a groan from his throat as she pressed her body harder against his. His hand slid up from her thigh around his waist, to her stomach, and finally cupping her breast, rubbing his thumb across the front.

Beckett gasped, finally separating her mouth from his to moan out his first name. His mouth moved down to her neck, sucking her pale skin, biting and nipping.

Beckett closed her eyes, her mind telling her that they should_ not_ be taking this far, her body saying _much_ different things.

"Wait... Castle..." She finally gasped out.

It seemed he didn't hear her because he took her earlobe in his mouth, sucking on it.

She closed her eyes again, forcing herself to speak up. "Castle, wait..." She gave his a little shove away from her.

He looked up then, panting, his eyes dark. "What..?"

"We need to talk about this."

He looked down, and let go of her, realizing what he had just been doing. "Right, sorry..."

She nodded, fixing her shirt, and running her fingers through her hair. "Umm, yeah, it's– it's fine... just..."

She jumped when there was a knocking on her door. She had almost forgotten... the food.

Castle looked at her quizzically, but she just shook her head and turned to open the door.

She felt as though the delivery guy had just witnessed what had happened on the other side of the door not one minute ago. She handed him a twenty, grabbed the food, and told him to keep the change before closing the door.

She turned to see Castle still staring at her and she bit down on her bottom lip. "Do you wanna sit down?"

"Sure."

She led him over to the couch, setting the food down on the coffee table, and sat down next to him in a respectable distance. She looked down at her hands, then back up at him, thinking about what exactly she wanted to say.

Castle sat there patiently, waiting for her to pluck up the courage to say whatever she wanted to say out loud, by herself.

Finally, she sighed. "I want to be with you."

He smiled. "Yes, I found that rather obvious."

She rolled her eyes but smiled, smacking him lightly on the chest. "Seriously."

"I want to be with you too. But, you already knew that."

She looked at him, her eyes shining with fear.

"Kate–"

"I'm afraid." She whispered.

"Of me?" Castle asked.

"Of us. Of... this." She said, pointing at the both of them.

Castle scooted closer to her, grabbing her hand. "Kate, I know considering my past that my word of never leaving you would be hard to believe. But, trust me on this one."

Beckett shook her head. "No, it's– it's not just that."

"Then what is it?"

"I've never felt as strongly for anyone like I have for you."

"And that scares you?"

"Yes, and I know it shouldn't, but it does."

"Then take that leap." He said. "Be with me, and see how you handle it. We can go as slow as you need to go. There's no rush."

She smiled, and reached out to touch the side of his face, kissing him softly.

"Thank you," She said, when she let go.

"Always."

~Castle&Beckett~

"What do you think's going on between them?"

"I don't know, man. Been acting pretty strange since this morning."

"Must've been from that kiss under the mistletoe."

"Mom and dad are fighting again."

"Most likely."

~Castle&Beckett~

Beckett rolled her eyes when she spotted Ryan and Esposito staring over at her and Castle. She sighed, wondering if they really were acting strange today. She'd been avoiding looking at him in the eyes, fearing that she wouldn't be able to look away, and smile the way he always made her smile. He, on the other hand, couldn't seem to keep his hands to himself. Earlier, when they had been at the crime scene, he had pulled her aside to talk to her, his hand clutching her arm. She had felt his breath against her neck, his thumb drawing circles on her arm. If they had been alone, she would've jumped him right there and then.

"Kate?"

She looked up, seeing Castle staring at her. "Hmm?"

"I think they know something's up."

It took a second for her to realize what exactly he was talking about, but then she remembered Ryan and Esposito staring at the two of them.

"I know, I feel bad."

"Not." They said in sync, looking at each other.

Beckett smiled. "Why shouldn't we keep it to ourselves?"

"Lanie and Esposito kept their 'thing' a secret. Or, at least they thought they had." Castle pointed out.

Beckett nodded. "And, it was a while before Ryan introduced Jenny to all of us."

"Exactly."

"We'll just wait till they figure it out themselves." Beckett said.

"I think that's a perfect plan."

Castle smiled. "Speaking of perfect plans... Do you wanna have dinner at my place tonight?"

Normally she would've said yes right away, always happy to eat at the loft with his family. But now, there were kinda a couple, and no one knew, and Martha had seen her attack Castle under the mistletoe. She bit her bottom lip and frowned. "I don't know..."

"I know what you're thinking," Castle said. "and just wanna let you know that mother loved the way you 'passionately attacked me under the mistletoe.' her words, not mine."

Kate snorted, bringing her hand up over her mouth holding back her laugh. "Really?"

He nodded. "Really. You're gonna have to face her sometime, Kate."

She smiled behind her hand. "Okay." She said softly.

He stared at her. "I really want to kiss you right now."

She felt her cheeks get slightly warm from his forward comment. Honestly, she couldn't think of anything she wouldn't rather be doing right now either. She crossed her arms over her chest, and stared at him, knowing exactly what was going through the both of their heads. His lips parted slightly, and he leaned down a bit closer. She was just about to do the same, in her mind screwing keeping their relationship a secret, when someone cleared their throat.

"Beckett."

She turned, Ryan and Esposito standing right behind her, and cleared her throat.

"Yes?"

Esposito was smirking, and Ryan was staring at her suspiciously. "Here are those forms you wanted."

She took them from Ryan's hand quickly. "Thanks."

He nodded, his eyes still narrowed. "Yeah, sure."

Ryan and Esposito backed away, slowly turning around.

Beckett wondered for a second why Esposito had come up and said nothing, but then figured that he had wanted a closer look at the two of them.

She turned around, facing Castle, and he sighed.

"So... supply closet?" He asked.

She burst out laughing.

~Castle&Beckett~

"I'm sorry to say that I must retire early tonight. Tomorrow I have a audition for a movie." Martha said, getting up out of her seat.

"That's wonderful." Beckett said.

Martha smiled. "Thank you. I know it's been awhile since I've been in that field of interest, but I'm not doubting myself."

Alexis smiled. "You'll do fine Grandma. And speaking of retiring early... I have homework to do, so I'll be upstairs."

Martha and Alexis both hugged Beckett goodnight, Alexis giving her dad a kiss on the cheek, and Martha patting his cheek. When they were both out of sight, Castle turned towards her.

"Wanna sit?" He asked.

She nodded. "Sure."

They moved over towards the living room, and Beckett sat down, Castle plopping down next to her. He scooted closer, his arm brushing against hers, and he looked at her to see that she was holding back a smile.

"What is it?" He asked.

She shook her head, and looked up at him opening her mouth to say something, but at the last second changed her mind and shook her head again. "Nothing,"

Castle knocked his elbow with hers. "Come on, tell me."

She let out a breath. "It's just that... I'm happy." She said, stating the truth. "I like spending time with you, Alexis, and Martha. I just feel like I'm..."

Castle smiled. "Part of the family?" He finished for her.

She nodded.

He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. "I'm glad."

Maybe it was the fact that she and Castle had only been together a few days, or that every time he kissed her a warm feeling spread throughout her whole body, starting in the middle of her stomach. Either way, she couldn't help leaning back into him, pressing her lips harder against his, opening her mouth, her fingers going into his hair.

She sighed, and his arms came around her waist, pulling at her hips, making her body come into closer contact with his. She straddled his waist, her hands on his chest now, clutching onto the labels of his shirt. She opened her mouth, and his tongue came in, demanding and certain.

It was minutes before they finally stopped gasping into each others mouths. Her forehead stayed pressed against his, their breathing in rhythm. His eyes meet her own, and she felt him clutch her waist tighter.

"Will you stay with me?" He breathed.

She nodded. Tonight she couldn't think of any other place she'd rather be.

He kissed her again. "Come on."

He led her upstairs and into his room, kissing her once they got inside until she stopped him, telling him she needed one of his shirts. When he gladly obliged to giving her one, she went into his bathroom, closing the door behind her.

She leaned against the back of the door for a moment, clutching his shirt to her chest, smiling. If someone had told her five years early that she would be in this situation with Richard Castle, she wouldn't have believed it for one second. She could hardly believe it when she thought of it now. Catching her breath, she took her clothes off, putting his shirt over her head, and opened the door.

Castle was waiting by the door, already in his boxers and a t-shirt. He handed her a toothbrush.

"Thanks," She said, setting her clothes on the floor.

He nodded. "I didn't think you'd want to share."

She smiled, and they brushed their teeth together, sharing the sink. Five minutes later, she was staring at him from across the bed. She felt his arm come around her waist, then, pulling her right up next to him, her legs tangling up with his. His eyes searched hers, and her fingers tightened around the fabric of his shirt, never dropping his gaze. Later, she knew they would argue over who kissed who first, but at the time she could care less as his mouth covered hers warmly, molding itself onto her own.

~Castle&Beckett~

"Kate, darling, did you spend the night?"

Beckett looked up, a bit startled, before she remembered that Martha was getting up early to go to an addition.

"Yeah," She answered, a bit shy.

Martha smiled at her. "And you're making breakfast?"

Beckett looked down at the mess of pancake mix, bacon, fruit, and eggs on the counter. "Oh, I didn't even realize–"

"If you're going to apologize, stop right there." Martha said, holding up her hand. "I love breakfast, and so does Richard." Picking up a strawberry, she popped it in her mouth. "I just want you to know that I think you are perfect for him. He's dated a lot of woman in his life, but you, my darling, have been the finest."

Beckett stared at her a moment, warmth filling up in the center of her chest. "Thank you."

Martha smiled before looking down at her watch. "Now, I must go."

She turned and headed towards the door. Throwing her hand up in the air, she said, "Wish me luck!"

"Good luck." Beckett called out.

As soon as she shut the door, Castle showed up on the staircase, bed head, rubbing his eyes.

"There you are." He said, sleepily. "I thought you'd left for work."

She shook her head. "I made breakfast."

When he made his way down, walking around the counter, making his way towards her, he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.

"Castle..."

He kissed down her neck. "I'll come with you."

~Castle&Beckett~

"What are you doing for Christmas?" Castle asked, suddenly.

She looked up at him. "Where did that come from?"

He shrugged. "Just wondering..."

He stared at her and she sighed. "I'm going over to my dad's. I haven't seen him in a while."

He nodded. "Oh,"

She raised her eyebrow. "What? Where you gonna ask me to come stay with you over Christmas?"

He leaned back in his chair. "Maybe,"

"I'm sorry."

"Christmas is a time for family."

"You are my family."

He didn't know why he didn't tell her he loved her that very minute.

~Castle&Beckett~

Beckett stayed with Castle for the next few days, enjoying all of their time together, before she left on Christmas eve to go to her dad's.

"How are you doing, Katie?" He asked once she had settled down.

"You know Richard Castle?" She asked him.

He nodded.

"I'm kinda... dating him now." She said, looking down.

"Are you happy?"

"Yes."

"I'm glad you're with him."

"You are?"

"He's good for you. You need someone to make you laugh."

"You should meet him sometime." Beckett suggested.

He nodded. "Set the date."

~Castle&Beckett~

Castle opened the door, knowing exactly who was on the other side.

"Kate!"

He threw his arms around her waist, kissing her like he hadn't seen her in a year.

"I missed you." He said.

She chuckled into his shoulder. "I've been gone less then three days."

"I still missed you." He said, kissing any part of her skin that he could reach.

She wrapped her arms around him tighter. "I missed you too."

After a minute, he released her, and they exchanged late Christmas gifts. (Even after the many protests Beckett gave him because of the necklace he had already given her for Christmas earlier.) Afterwards, she lied on top of him on the couch, her head on his chest.

"Will you be my date?" He asked.

"Your date? To where?" She asked, lifting her head, resting her chin on his chest.

"To my New Years party."

She smiled. "Yes."

~Castle&Beckett~

"Okay, girl, _spill_. I have _never _seen you smile so much in one night. What gives?" Lanie asked Beckett.

They were at Castle's party, and Lanie had pulled her aside, wanting to talk to her.

Beckett frowned. "Is that better?"

Lanie stared at her. "Who are you and what have you done with my best friend?"

Beckett sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll tell you, but you have to promise that you won't tell anyone else. _Anyone._ Got it?"

Lanie nodded. "Yeah, tell me."

Beckett looked around, making sure Ryan or Esposito weren't anywhere near. She looked at Lanie. "I going out with Castle."

Lanie gasped. "What? And you didn't tell me?" He practically yelled.

"Shh..." Beckett said, hitting her arm lightly.

Lanie rolled her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me?" She repeated.

Beckett shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I was just trying to sort things out."

"And when did this exactly happen?"

Beckett told from the beginning, leaving out all of the rather intimate details. At the end, Lanie was smiling like she just received a million dollars.

"And you two still haven't had sex?"

Beckett felt her cheeks get red. "No."

"Dang, you have got it bad. You both do."

Beckett looked at her watch. "It's almost midnight."

"Are you going to kiss your prince charming?"

"That's the idea."

"Well, I'm going to go kiss mine."

Beckett saw Esposito behind them. "There he is." She said.

Lanie looked behind her, then back at Beckett. "There's only one problem girl."

"What's that?" Beckett asked.

"How can you kiss him if no one's suppose know you two are together?"

Oh. She hadn't thought of that.

~Castle&Beckett~

Ten.

Beckett shut the upstairs bathroom door behind them, Castle shoving her up against it.

Seven.

He leaned in, his hands clutching tighter to her sides, his breath on her mouth.

Five.

Her arms came up around his neck, and she leaned in until there's only a tiny amount of breathing space between them. She heard everyone downstairs counting down.

"Four, three, two, one... Happy new year!"

She pressed her lips against his.

* * *

><p><em>Tell me what you think about it so far! :)<em>


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